
This weekend of games had an exciting feel, but at the same time a bittersweet shadow surrounding them. Sunday was senior day. I know that most teams may think they have the best seniors - but I will be the first to tell you that UMass Women’s Soccer has easily the best senior class around. Each one of them brings a little something to the team whether it is on or off the field.
For example we have Captain Meg who is not only hilarious off the field, but is the strongest presence we have on the field. We can always rely on Meg to pull us out from a slump and take control of the game. Our other Captain Dee is our “go to” forward who we can always count on to come through big when we need her most. More soft spoken, Dee also has a great sense of humor and is incredibly sweet and easy to talk to. Next we have Julie, who leads our team in goals. Julie is the perfect big sister for the freshman and is always willing to help us and give us advice. She’s hilarious in her own “Julie way” - never taking herself too seriously. And then there’s Lindsey, who has also kept us laughing all season. She and Meg are the funniest pair I’ve ever met and their friendship is so amazingly strong. Lindsey is definitely one of our strongest and best defenders and I know that no one wants to go 1v1 against her. In addition there is Nat, one of the sweetest girls ever, but with a strike you would never expect. Nat always has a smile on her face, never quits and that can cheer up the entire team. Finally we have Erin, perhaps the funniest person I have ever met. There is never a boring moment when she is around, but she is such a strong player to boot.
As you can tell, we have a great group of leaders and role models. I think that all of us underclassmen recently realized how much we really love and look up to each one. For this reason, we wanted Senior Day to be extra special. We slaved over our posters maxing out the ink in our printers for pictures and covering ourselves with glitter. The freshman decided that we would also decorate the locker room. At 9pm on Saturday night, we all made our way to Boyden and stayed for hours until the locker room looked perfect. We filled the room with streamers and balloons and decorated the lockers filling them with candy. All our time paid off because I think the seniors really appreciated everything the team did.
For example we have Captain Meg who is not only hilarious off the field, but is the strongest presence we have on the field. We can always rely on Meg to pull us out from a slump and take control of the game. Our other Captain Dee is our “go to” forward who we can always count on to come through big when we need her most. More soft spoken, Dee also has a great sense of humor and is incredibly sweet and easy to talk to. Next we have Julie, who leads our team in goals. Julie is the perfect big sister for the freshman and is always willing to help us and give us advice. She’s hilarious in her own “Julie way” - never taking herself too seriously. And then there’s Lindsey, who has also kept us laughing all season. She and Meg are the funniest pair I’ve ever met and their friendship is so amazingly strong. Lindsey is definitely one of our strongest and best defenders and I know that no one wants to go 1v1 against her. In addition there is Nat, one of the sweetest girls ever, but with a strike you would never expect. Nat always has a smile on her face, never quits and that can cheer up the entire team. Finally we have Erin, perhaps the funniest person I have ever met. There is never a boring moment when she is around, but she is such a strong player to boot.
As you can tell, we have a great group of leaders and role models. I think that all of us underclassmen recently realized how much we really love and look up to each one. For this reason, we wanted Senior Day to be extra special. We slaved over our posters maxing out the ink in our printers for pictures and covering ourselves with glitter. The freshman decided that we would also decorate the locker room. At 9pm on Saturday night, we all made our way to Boyden and stayed for hours until the locker room looked perfect. We filled the room with streamers and balloons and decorated the lockers filling them with candy. All our time paid off because I think the seniors really appreciated everything the team did.

Of course it was sad that it was the seniors’ last game on Rudd Field, but we plan on the season continuing for a few more weeks. Winning 1-0 was great and I think it will be a game we all remember. We have another weekend on the road coming up and we’ve put ourselves in a great position to earn a top seed (and a first round bye) for the A-10 Championships. This weekend is going to be tough and I have a feeling that the game against Richmond could be the decider of second and third place. Just like two weeks ago, we can’t overlook our Friday opponent, George Washington, but a win there and it;s another huge game on Sunday! A “must win” won’t be the worst thing for us, because it will be a good warm-up for a playoff game. A game that is loaded with pressure on both teams is played a lot different than others. We have had our share of defining moments this season and I think we are ready.
Illness is going around in full force at UMass lately and I’ve definitely caught something. You know its bad when your Grandma’s care package contains Halloween decorations, cookies and a giant bottle of cold medication. I’ve started to gradually lose my voice (hopefully it will be back for the Freshman Idol on the upcoming trip!) and when I attempted to get some participation points in class today, no sound escaped my mouth, indicating my voice had finally went. It was a little embarrassing and disappointing that I couldn’t share my deep and critical views on Thoreau.
The next two weeks should prove to be very hectic with traveling and games that will be our most important so far. Missing class will also prove to be a challenge, especially because midterms seem to be falling all around this time. It’s getting to the final stretch of our season and I foresee an exciting couple of weeks ahead of us, hopefully ending with an A-10 title and some upsets in the NCAAs!
Illness is going around in full force at UMass lately and I’ve definitely caught something. You know its bad when your Grandma’s care package contains Halloween decorations, cookies and a giant bottle of cold medication. I’ve started to gradually lose my voice (hopefully it will be back for the Freshman Idol on the upcoming trip!) and when I attempted to get some participation points in class today, no sound escaped my mouth, indicating my voice had finally went. It was a little embarrassing and disappointing that I couldn’t share my deep and critical views on Thoreau.
The next two weeks should prove to be very hectic with traveling and games that will be our most important so far. Missing class will also prove to be a challenge, especially because midterms seem to be falling all around this time. It’s getting to the final stretch of our season and I foresee an exciting couple of weeks ahead of us, hopefully ending with an A-10 title and some upsets in the NCAAs!